Introspection
by catheryn2
Summary: Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Ino are sent on a mission to capture a missing nin. All of them are also caught up in personal reflections and observations throughout the mission. Ch 11 up! Fight ends, at last![eventual NaruSasuNaru]
1. Chapter 1: Mission Assignment!

Blanket Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This applies to …. Forever or when I can ear a bazillion dollars to buy the copyrights to it.

Summary:

On a simple mission to capture a missing nin, 4 ninjas discover many things about each other, and mostly about themselves. NaruSasu

Chapter 1: Mission Assignment!

The Godaime's face is unreadable as she looks over the assembled team, her eyes lingering on two. Complete opposites, complementary, necessary in the scheme of the plan. One, hair the brightest yellow, eyes the clearest blue, and the loudest of the loud. The other, hair as dark as midnight with a matching set of charcoal eyes, the silent killer. She hands out four envelopes to each individual.

"This is a 2 month mission. Your mission is to locate and capture an S-level missing nin named Satake Yasha from the Hidden Village of Stone. His crime, the massacre of one of the predominant clans there, the Nehare." Out of the corner of her eyes, she sees a flash of red. "His information and identified locations he regularly frequents are included in the packet. Bring him here to be dealt with. I want him alive."

Naruto steps forward as he examines his packet. _Hmm, this sounds familiar._ _Maybe that's why Sasuke seems so 'passionate'._ Contrary to others' beliefs, Sasuke was like an open book to him. His subtle twitch and flickering of red, narrowing of the lips did not go unnoticed by the fox.

Concerned for his fellow shinobi he asks,"Why have you picked us? Three of us are ANBU. And the last is a high level Medic nin. One ANBU hunter team is enough. Besides, what use is there to put your strongest in a small find and capture mission? We are experiencing many unusual activities around Leaf and our allies, Sand, have noticed some peculiarities around the Fire country border."

Normally the Godaime and the rest of the team would have been surprised at the sudden seriousness and eloquence of the blond, but over the past 6 years, he seemed to grow and show a different side to him when faced with the varying circumstances.

He showed his aptitude and pliancy in all situations, changing and going with the flow. He has become one of the best in Konoha at espionage missions and a great commander in the ANBU forces. His useless jutsus and surprising battle plans proved to be successful on many occasions. Combining his element and Shikamaru's genius, Konoha had a strong strategic team. His training to become the Rokudaime also helped him in understanding various activities that are happening around the villages. His diplomatic skills that were always there were refined. In essence, Naruto had become the prime candidate for the Hokage position. During the last few years, Naruto merged with the Kyubi, gaining strength in mind and body, and has slowly built a trust with the villagers. The ninja community, right after the incidence with the Uchiha saw his potential and iron will, gaining Naruto the respect he deserved.

A slight pause, the Godaime reflected on her "brother's" question, thinking of how best to answer it.

"You four have been chosen not only for abilities but for your looks." Four raised eyebrows greeted her.

"Ano sa. Baa-chan, what the hell are you talking about?" A glare from the Godaime and a smirk from the Uchiha was directed at the blond.

"Dobe, don't worry, she probably didn't have anyone to fill the last spot. Doesn't it suit you Dead-Last?"

"Teme, I'm gonna"

"Anyways Naruto, back to the mission, this nin has been classified as missing for 4 years. He has eluded Hunter nins from stone many times. This is a covert mission assigned to us as a desperate measure by the kage of Stone. The nin recognizes all of the ninja sent after him by Stone, therefore it was necessary to get our help. As you can see in his file, he was a high ranking ANBU captain. No weaknesses have been identified. The plan was to create a situation in which to trap him. It was discovered that he has the propensity to visit various brothels."

"But there are GUYS here, Baa-chan, we can't do much to him. Besides, brothels are great cover up places that are often frequented for information."

"I haven't finished Naruto. What you say is true, but I don't believe that it wholly applies to this nin. It seems that every brothel he has visited has resulted in 'interesting' results."

Sakura, standing up from her seat asks, "Interesting? How so?"

"Well, it seems that every brothel frequented by Satake, nine months later results in several babies being born."

At this, Sakura and Ino nod. Ino hesitantantly adds, "But that doesn't explain why you need Sasuke and Naruto. Hinata, Sakura, and I are highly skilled and can handle this on our own. Two ANBU captains are not needed on this mission. But then, I guess they can henge and Naruto can use that crazy jutsu of his."

"Again, I have not finished explaining. The babies are the result of a union between Satake and another person yes, but what I have not mentioned is that the other person can be either female or MALE."

Two thumps, a twitch, and amused silence followed.

"NANI! Baa-chan, that's physically impossible!"

"Naruto, please don't yell so close to my ear. Can you please put Ino and Sakura on the couch at least?"

"B—B--- But—"

"…"

"EWWWWWWW! Does that mean the baby comes out the guys ass!"

Four pairs of eyes widen and stare at the blond in disbelief, shock, or a mixture of both.

"…."

"Hmm, do they?"

Everyone redirected their eyes to the Godaime. "No you BAKA! Sakura, please explain."

"When there are no means or there is trouble in delivering a baby naturally, we perform a surgical procedure. This procedure is called a Caesarian section, or C-Section for short. It is performed by creating an incision right around the pelvic region, and the baby"

"OKAY! I get it!"

At the Godaime's glare, Naruto immediately shut up. "You four will infiltrate one of the brothels Satake frequents. Use any method you desire. One note of advice when dealing with Satake. He seems to be quite take with anyone with beautiful eyes. For this reason, you four were chosen. Most likely he'll be attuned to you. I must repeat that you are to capture him alive. Do NOT bring him back in a state of disrepair. Stone and Leaf are to work together to gather information on Satake and his blood-line limit and his reproductive capabilities. With the low birth rates of ninjas, studying his ability is a necessity to the survival of all the villages. You are all dismissed. Prepare to leave for the mission within the week."


	2. Chapter 2: Preparations Complete!

Blanket Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This applies to …. Forever or when I can ear a bazillion dollars to buy the copyrights to it.

Moments before

At the Godaime's glare, Naruto immediately shut up. "You four will infiltrate one of the brothels Satake frequents. Use any method you desire. One note of advice when dealing with Satake. He seems to be quite take with anyone with beautiful eyes. For this reason, you four were chosen. Most likely he'll be attuned to you. I must repeat that you are to capture him alive. Do NOT bring him back in a state of disrepair. Stone and Leaf are to work together to gather information on Satake and his blood-line limit and his reproductive capabilities. With the low birth rates of ninjas, studying his ability is a necessity to the survival of all the villages. You are all dismissed. Prepare to leave for the mission within the week."

Chapter 2: Preparations Complete!

"Well that was…interesting… I have to prepare and let Shika know I'm going on a mission. Shall we all meet at the end of the week at the front gate?"

"Sure thing Ino. I have to go buy my stuff and help mom prepare dinner. Since it's such a long mission I should relax a bit. Sasuke-kun, do you want to come with me and join us for dinner? Of course, Naruto, you are invited too!"

"Hn. I don't think so. I'm going to train. Dobe, you coming?"

"Sasuke! What did I say about you calling me that? Don't call me Dobe! Call me the Great Rokudaime Uzumaki Naruto! Ano se, Sakura-chan, it's been a while since we've all been together and I haven't had your homemade cooking in such a long time! But, I can't come with you today either. I have to meet with Iruka-sensei. Gomen Sakura-Chan, next time, ne?"

"No problem Naruto. We've all been busy. At least we finally get a mission together again. It's been too long. Well, I'll catch you boys later!"

"Hn, I'm going to train, meet you at Ichikaru for dinner?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in a few hours."

The Academy

"Ne, Ne, Iruka-sensei, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about? I haven't seen you in ages! It's been, what, 3 months since we've gotten together? Argh, I've got another 2 month mission coming up at the end of this week, so we won't be able to get together after this. Oh yeah, Team 7 is reuniting for this mission. Of course Ino is coming too."

"Now, now Naruto. Slow down. Yes it has been a while. I called you here to ask for a favor."

"Favor? What kind of favor?"

"I need you to help with the students. Of course when you get back from the mission is fine."

"With the kids? What can I do?"

"I wanted you to give them a sorta 'pep-talk' and demonstration."

"Ehhhh, why would you want that? I understand a demonstration since I'm such a fabulous, wonderful, and great shinobi, but a pep-talk?"

"Well, it seems that with the current activities around Konoha and with the fear of impending war, many of the children are beginning to exhibit signs of unrest and anxiousness that they took on from the adults. You have a wonderful effect on people and I wanted you to just sit down and talk to them. Something like when you spoke to Konohamaru."

"But, I don't know. Konohamaru was different. I don't think I can do too much."

"On the contrary, I think just by having the future Rokudaime there, the kids will be ecstatic. Not to mention that you are one of the strongest ANBU captains. All you have to do is reassure the kids."

"Well, okay. I'll do my best. That's my ninja way!"

"Thank you Naruto. Anyways, how have you been? Would you like to join me for ramen tonight?"

"I've been good. I'm about to join Sasuke at Ichikaru later. Why don't you join us?"

"Eh? No, I think not. You two go and have fun. How are things with you and Sasuke lately. You sure seem to get along much better than when you were 13. After the…incident…I didn't think you two would be able to talk like you do now."

"Well, I thought so too. It's been 10 years since then. It took sometime after that snake-bastard incident, but we get along even better than I had hoped. We're both 23 now, so I guess we had to come to terms with it. But who woulda thought it would turn out this way."

"Hmm. I'm happy for you Naruto. So when are you two getting together?" With that, Iruka gave a mischievous wink to Naruto.

"EHHH!" Blushing brightly, Naruto stepped back and tripped over….Nothing.

"W…We aren't like that! What are you saying Iruka-nichan?"

"Well, it seems you're still the same. Never mind. But take my advice to heart and think it over. Time flies pass quickly and a life of a shinobi has many risks. Before it's too late, take what you desire. Well, I'll be off. I need to grade some papers before dinner."

""Y…Yeah. Bye Iruka-nichan." _I wonder what he's thinking. I don't remember Sasuke showing any interest in me whatsoever except that of a friend. My best friend._ Smiling, the blond headed off to his most favortist of places.

Hokage Tower

"Shika! Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you! You were supposed to be back hours ago! How come it looks like you just walked out of a swamp? Umm, you smell it too."

The said jounin was definitely a site for sore eyes. His face was smeared with mud and some gooey, slimy green stuff was dripping out of his hair. Needless to say, the said boy, or man, now reeked of sewage water. "How troublesome. I've been gone for 2 weeks and this is how you greet me? Tch. Women."

"So, what happened?"

"Too troublesome to say. But for future reference, don't ever get stranded near an outhouse during flood season in Water Country. Damn disgusting."

"Anyways Shika, I'm going to go on a 2 month mission at the end of the week. I thought that we could…umm…spend some time together?"

Raising his eyebrows and giving a small smile, "Sure, why not, let me get cleaned up a bit and we'll go out and eat."

Sakura's House

"Tandaima!"

"Okaeri Sakura. How was everything? Did you get all the ingredients?"

"Hai Momma! I'll be leaving for a 2 month mission at the end of the week so I have to prepare for it. I'll be working with Sasuke-kun and Naruto. It's been so long since we've been together. Ino will be coming too! I'm so excited!"

"Well, honey, that's nice. I'm glad that you and Ino are friends again."

"Hehe. Now that Ino is aiming for Shikamaru and given up on Sasuke-kun, we get along really well. I've missed our friendship."

"How are things going with you and Sasuke-kun?"

"Hmm, I don't know. He talks to me more since…that time. But…."

"Is something wrong dear?"

"He just doesn't seem to act any friendlier. He's not as indifferent as he was before, but he isn't much warmer. I try my hardest to understand him better, but I don't know if it's enough. Hmm…. I wonder…. Well, never mind, let's get cooking Mom!"

Giving her small smile, Sakura walked off towards the kitchen to prepare soup.

Training Grounds

SNAP, PUNCH, PUNCH, KICK

"Haaa, Haaa" Sasuke wiped the sweat off his face. After 10 years, one would think that he tire of such training attempts, but Sasuke thought otherwise. In fact, he found it exhilarating. Throughout the past 6 years since he returned to Konoha, it was the only action that seemed unchanged. It gave him a certain sense of peace. When he came back, things were as he expected. Hate and dissension, everything he could imagine was thrown at him. He didn't care. The only thing that bothered him the most were those eyes. Naruto had looked at him with eyes that showed Sasuke his sense of betrayal. True, after a strained year upon his return, things were hard, but Sasuke could get over it. After another 6 months, he got sick and tired of it.

FLASHBACK

"Naruto." _I better get this over with. I'm tired of this. Wasn't he, isn't he my best friend? I owe him this much._

"…" Not facing the Uchiha, Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. All Sasuke could see were the two clenched fists at his side.

"Naruto. It's about time we talked."

"Why! You've been here for over a year and NOW you decide to talk? Tch. Who do you think you are?"

"…."

"Look, if you have nothing to say than just….go away."

"Are you done Dobe?"

"Teme…."

Smirk. "Still the same." The Uchiha smiled. "I'm glad."

Naruto stared. Speechless. Pointing his finger at Sasuke, he started to back up. "What the FUCK was that?"

With a sigh, "Naruto, you and I are still the same. Even though it's been 5 years since I've left. We remain ourselves. You are still…Naruto."

"Of course I am."

"What I'm saying dobe is that we are still the same as back then. Whether we are 13 or 18, your and my relationship is the same."

"No."

A bit stricken, the Uchiha glanced away. "….. Fine." As he began to walk away, Naruto spoke up.

"Our relationship has evolved." Sasuke stopped and looked back. Naruto was looking back at him with genuine sincerity in his eyes. Sasuke blinked.

"You know what that word means right?"

"Teme…..I'm trying to be serious here." Sasuke smirked.

"Enlighten me."

"We can never go back to the way we were. We can only move forward. When…When you left, I went after you, to fulfill my promise to Sakura-chan. After I….failed…I trained with Ero-sennin for three years. Throughout those years I thought, 'Why am I training so hard? Is it only for Sakura-chan?' I thought long and hard."

Snort "I bet you did since it's so difficult for you."

Glare "As I was saying…. I thought on it. I finally understood why you didn't kill me and why you left. IF I had been in your position, I probably wouldn't have left. But then again, that's me. You are your own person. You chose a different path. You had every right and every reason to do so. I came to an understanding after that. When I came to get you the second time, I came to a conclusion. You choose your path, I choose my path."

"Then why did you come get me?"

"Hmm, why? Because I chose the scenic route. There are the straight paths like yours and there are the longer ones. I wanted to take in the beauty around me and appreciate the way, my ninja way. Like I have my way, so you have yours."

Sasuke didn't know how to respond. "Hn. Maybe idiots are wise at times."

"Yeah, so I should've told you this sooner, but I wanted you to be the one chasing me this time. What took you so long?"

"….. Just finding my way around."

Smiling, both boys knocked fists.

PRESENT TIME

_I guess not all change is bad._ Smiling a bit, Sasuke began to walk home.

"Maa, Maa Sasuke-kun. What's that smile you've got there?"

Looking back and putting on his old mask, "Hn. Kakashi."

"Mou, Sasuke, how mean. Here I was just wanting to greet my favorite student."

"Is there something you need?"

"Nope, nothing at all." With that, Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke.

Turning around, Sasuke headed towards Ichikaru. "Hn."

Ichikaru

"Oi! Sasuke!"

"Hey."

"I'm starving! Where have you been?"

"Training. I told you that. What did Iruka want?"

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto gave a sheepish grin. "Hehe. He wants me to help him out at the Academy. A pep talk for the kids."

"Hn. It seems like a good thing."

Naruto stopped his slurping. "Ehh? That's it? No insult? No anything?"

Sasuke looked at hmm with steady eyes. "Kids need morale boosters from time to time. I should know. You should know. The reassurance that adults can provide are precious at a young age. You are the ideal person to give that. You are one who has that gift. Do you think anyone would be able to do what you do? To inspire those around you? Neji is one of those people. Gaara. That gaki, Konohomaru. Me."

Naruto looked at Sasuke. Seeing the intensity and sincerity in the depths of those cobalt eyes. With a genuine smile that is rarely given, he replied with absolute gratitude. "Thank you, Sasuke. I needed to hear that."

"Hn. Don't expect it again, Dobe-chan. Such a sentimental guy." With a smirk, he continued to eat his ramen.

"Bastard! Why do you have to be such a jerk? You ruined our guy bonding time!"

But as they finished and paid their bill, both were smiling. The two men knocked fists and turned around going to each of his respective home.

A/N: How am I doing? I've got a few more chapters ready. Should I continue? It's slow right now, but I wanted you to get an idea of the characters in their current state. I've thought up a few techniques for each character. I can't wait until I get to a battle. Well, that'll be in a few chapters.

Tell me what you think. My continuation will be based on the feedback I get for the next few chapters.


	3. Chapter 3: Mission Start!

Blanket Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This applies to …. Forever or when I can earn a bazillion dollars to buy the copyrights to it.

**Previous chapters can be found on my homepage/livejournal. Just click on my profile link!**

Previously in Chapter 2

Sakura gets set at home. Ino spends time with Shikamaru. Naruto and Sasuke spend some moments bonding. Each prepare for their mission.

Chapter 3: Mission Start!

_The freedom of nature, the thrill of the chase, the ultimate rush:_, _the overall feeling, this is why I love being a ninja._ _It's been a while since I've actually thought about it. My way of the ninja. I'm getting closer to becoming the Rokudaime, many already acknowledge my existence, and I have kept my promises. Sometimes I wonder how it all happened. Do I deserve this sense of peace? Albeit, the inner peace I have attained was so hard to accomplish. So many pathways that one could choose. Sasuke's pathway was different from mine, but we each gained what we wanted, right? If so, how come I feel a little empty. It's peaceful, yet…..empty, like a void. I guess I'll have to think on that after the mission. _

_Hmm, maybe I'll ask Sasuke. A day for guy bonding again. _Naruto smiled._ That was nice. I wonder if that is the feeling of having family is like. It feels warm, though not the same warmth I get when with Sakura. Hmm…more things to think about. ARGH! Don't think about such things now! This is a mission! Concentrate! Don't dwell on figuring out emotions until later._ With firm resolve, Naruto continued onward.

Melding into the night, the four man team began the hunt.

Konoha Forest

"Well, I'll go gather some firewood. Ino, want to come with me?"

"Sure thing. Naruto, can you NOT eat your ramen tonight? I swear, how can a person live off of that? Anyways, I brought something and I'll cook it for you, ne?"

"Alright, alright Ino. Wakata. How can I pass on home cooked meals by Ino? Shikamaru raves about your cooking, so I must try it." Naruto gave Ino an amused look as she blushed profusely. Both girls turned around and started to gather wood.

"Hn. I'll pitch the tents. Two okay?"

"Yeah, we'll share one and the girls can get the other. Of course, if you want….you can share with Sakura, I don't think she would mind. You can start rebuilding your clan!"

With a death glare, Sasuke threw a rock at Naruto. "Don't think so dobe."

"Hmm? Why not? We're at the age where we should be indulging ourselves and thinking about meeting our significant other. Hopefully we'll find our soul mate soon. Mmm…that would be great."

Naruto looked over at Sasuke as he was working on the tents. "Ne, Sasuke?"

"Hn." Not turning around he glanced at the fox while continuing with the tents.

"I was talking to Iruka-nichan and he said something interesting. Life is short. As shinobi we should get what we want whenever we can. The sooner the better. You know what I was thinking?"

Sasuke finished up pitching the tents and sat down next to Naruto. Sakura and Ino joined them setting the wood in a pile. After lighting the pile, Sakura turned to Naruto.

"We heard what you said Naruto. What is it that you were thinking about? Maybe we can help you with it." She smiled gently at Naruto and patted his head before sitting across from him next to Ino, who was preparing dinner.

"Hmm…I was thinking that after the mission, I want to go looking for my soul mate." He looked at his companions and smiled. "I was thinking about what Iruka said and thought that he's right. When I look at Ino and Shikamaru or Kiba and Hinata I feel warm, but also lonely. Not the same as when I was a kid, because I have all of you guys there, but a different kind. I want that warmth and happiness that they have. Hmmm….but maybe I'm being silly and too sentimental. Hehe." Naruto scratched the back of his head.

Sasuke glanced at the blond boy and frowned a bit. _Why does he all of sudden want this? Is Team 7 not enough? Am I not enough? All I need is Naruto…and Sakura, in a sense. _ Slightly frowning, Sasuke sat silently contemplating his line of thought as he started eating.

"Naruto, you want what we all want. Every person has a special person for them. Most of the time we are right next to the person who we are meant to be with." At this, she looked meaningfully at Sasuke. Continuing, "Ahh, how about I introduce you to some girls Naruto? After the mission, we can have a Goukan. What do you think Ino?"

"That would be great! It will be so fun! Naruto, Sasuke, Neji, and Lee! Tenten, Sakura, Temari, and some other girls too! What a perfect way for matchmaking!"

"Sounds like a great idea! I can always use a party. Oi Sasuke, you up for it? It'll be fun. We both can look for someone to start our own clan! Mmm…this food is great Ino!"

"Hn. Annoying. As if I don't have enough fangirls. Gathering them all in one place will be a disaster."

"Hmm, I guess so, but it won't hurt. We'll just invite a small one at, hmm, where should we have it?"

"Ichi—"

"No."

"Why not?"

"No. We'll have it at the Korean BBQ restaurant." That said, Sakura began eating her meal.

Sticking out his tongue and pouting, Naruto consented. "It'll be a good welcome home type of party."

With a loud yawn, Naruto added, "Anyways let's get to sleep; we have an early start tomorrow. We'll be in Sand by nightfall tomorrow. I'm excited! I'll get to see Gaara again! Man, it's been so long! Too bad we can't spar. I have to pick up some disguises for us before we get to the village in Wind. We'll discuss the plan afterwards." Focusing on the upcoming visit to Sand, Naruto missed the flinch on a certain Uchiha.

This did not go unnoticed by a certain platinum blond. Ino raised a brow as she got up to go to bed.

"Oyasumi Naruto. Sasuke-kun."

"Oyasumi." Both boys replied. Looking at each other, they turned to head to their own tent to rest.

Girls' tent

"Ne, Sakura?"

Turning around while brushing her hair, green eyes directed themselves at the Cauliflower blue ones. "What is it Ino-pig?"

"Maa, Sakura, at the age of 24 and you still call me that? Oh well, I guess I have to stick to calling you Forehead girl!" Both girls started giggling.

"Anyways Sakura, I was wondering. How have things been with you and Sasuke and Naruto?"

"Hmm? Why do you ask? I guess things have been going okay so far. Naruto and I have become like brother and sister. It's great. I kinda miss when he followed me around, but I wouldn't give up what I have now with him for the world! As for Sasuke, well, we get along better. Not as well as he and Naruto, but I think it's a guy thing though. You know, like Shikamaru and Chouji. But I don't mind right now. Sasuke talks to me more than any of the other girls, so that makes me special to him right?"

Ino glanced at the pink haired girl and frowned a bit. "Yeah, you are definitely special to Sasuke-kun." _Hmm, I wonder. It seems more brotherly, but who knows. Although I am a bit suspicious about his and Naruto's relationship._ Giving Sakura a small hug, "Oyasumi Sakura."

"Oyasumi Ino."

Boys' tent

"Man, what a tiring day! Hey Sasuke, something a matter?"

"Hn." Shifting his bed roll, Sasuke turned around to face the other boy. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering, Felt like something was a matter." Giving his regular grin, "Well, whatever, I'm bushed. Night Bastard."

"Hn." Sasuke looked at his companion and turned around to exit; he was first watch. _Hmm…I wonder what's a matter indeed. Strange, how come I feel uncomfortable whenever he's happy to see another person. I'm happy when I am with him and he shows me that he feels the same when with me. Could this be jealousy? That could be it. He's my best friend and he'll forget about me if he finds another. Well, I'll set that aside to think about later._

Settling himself outside in a tree, Sasuke watched the stars.

A/N: I've been wondering, is this story captivating enough to keep writing? I haven't gotten much feedback, so I'm leaning towards no. I've a few more chapters to post, but since it's not too many hits, I've slowed down. That's why this chapter is about 2 weeks late. Well, I'll see what to do in the next chapters.


	4. Chapter 4: Welcome to the Sandbox!

Blanket Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This applies to …. Forever or when I can earn a bazillion dollars to buy the copyrights to it.

A/N: I know it's a bit slow. This is just some R&R. Have fun. The next one will be out next week. Leave me some feedback.

Chapter 4: Welcome to the Sand Box!

Sakura was pondering the meaning of one of the greatest mysteries of life. Naruto. _What are those? They look…fluffy. Why is he carrying that? Is it really needed on this mission? He's such an odd person; to this day, he still surprises me._ The object of her perusal were multicolored fluff ball key chains or something that Naruto was stowing away in his knapsack.

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Ohayo Sakura-chan! How are you this lovely morning? In the prime of our youth-"

"You've been hanging around Lee too much." With that, Naruto just stuck out his tongue at her and winked. "Anyways Naruto, I was wondering," an inquisitive glance in the direction of a pink, fluffy object, "what is that?"

"What's what?"

"_That?_" asked Sakura, pointing to the unidentified thing. Several pairs of eyes directed their gazes at the said object.

"Hehe. It's…" A sheepish grin replace the questioning look before, Naruto looked at his comrades, "—a secret."

"Hmm, it doesn't look like something that needed to be pack. I thought we were only supposed to pack the minimum for the mission." With that, Ino looked at Naruto with a chastising look. "I doubt they're you're good luck charms. Knowing you, your good luck charm would be a used ramen cup or something,"

Quickly hiding his good luck ramen cup, Naruto pouted. "Mou, Ino, I NEED it for the mission. You'll see. I'll tell you all what it's for after we leave Sand and before we get to Avian Village." That said, the group headed towards Sand Village.

Office of the kazekage

"Naruto. What do you require?" The redhead had grown tall in the past 4 years since the group had last seen him. They would normally hear that he is in the village from time to time, but never had the time to chat. The three men in the room all were around six feet tall. Naruto being the tallest at 6 feet 2, Gaara being the shortest at 6 feet

_Who would have thought that those two shorties would grow so tall?_ The pink haired girl looked at the three tall and beautiful men around her.

"Hey Sandman!" At the impassive look, but heated glint, Naruto quickly continued. "We're on our way to a mission and there were some supplies here that I couldn't find in Konoha. It's just a quick stop. We'll just be here a night."

Gaara looked at the group. "Do you require assistance?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nah, I've got it covered." Looking at the team he waved. "I'll meet you guys at the inn later." With that, Naruto left 3 people looking at the Kazekage.

Sakura, not one for being rude, decided that she would try to initiate conversation with the stoic kage. _It can't be any harder than talking to Sasuke in the old days._ "Kazekage-sama, you look well."

Gaara looked at the kononochi. "Hn. Do you 3 need anything else?"

Ino started towards the door. "No, no. We were just leaving. Thank you Kazekage-sama."

Gaara nodded at the group. "There is a festival tonight. I will be unable to assist you this evening."

With a last glance at the red-haired man, Sakura began to leave. Sasuke, on the other hand, looked at the kage and left.

As the three headed to the inn, Sakura sighed. "Same old Gaara. Well minus the killing aura. Well, not entirely. Just less."

Sasuke just looked at her. "He's changed quite a bit."

A befuddled look crossed Sakura's face. "Huh?" Ino looked at the handsome shinobi skeptically. "Yeah right."

Sasuke kept his pace and looked towards the inn in front of them. "Hn. Ino didn't know him, so she wouldn't know. There were more subtle differences if you looked closely. As a shinobi, you should be more observant Sakura."

"Hai, Sasuke-kun." _Always the same. You would think that after all these years, I would have improved enough to match him.. We're the best in our respective fields. Oh well, that's one of those things I love about him. _With a smile, she entered the inn after her two comrades.

Town

A blue-eyed blond was sauntering around with his arms full of bags. _Ah, I'm so excited! I wonder what they'll think._ With a mischievous glint in his eyes, Naruto continued his way back to the inn. "Ah, it's almost time for dinner! I'm starved!"

Inn

BANG, BANG, BANG

"Oi! Are you two ready yet! I'm starved! Let's go eat!" Naruto was trying to gather his companions for a nice evening out.

In the background, a stoic man smirked. "Dobe. It hasn't been more than five minutes and you're already making a racket. How are you able to succeed in our covert mission?"

"Bastard! Respect your future hokage! Besides, I have a plan." The door opened and revealed two kimono clad women.

Naruto stepped back. "Why are you two so dressed up?" He glanced at Sasuke, who had changed into black slacks and a formfitting shirt. "Speaking of which, why did you all change clothes?" Naruto looked down at his own clothes. He was wearing the same clothes he traveled in.

Sakura looked at the blond. "Baka! You should at least shower before we go out! You stink!"

Ino looked at Naruto with an amused look. "There's a festival tonight. I guess someone," glancing at Sasuke, "forgot to mention it to you."

Sasuke shrugged. "When he returned, he threw everything on the bed and stormed over to your room."

Naruto looked at the three and sighed. Giving a large smile, he made his way back to his and Sasuke's room. "Alright, I'll get ready. See you in fifteen downstairs."

The other three smiled. Sakura looked at Ino. "Since we have fifteen more minutes, why don't we put on some finishing touches." Both girls looked at Sasuke and returned to their rooms.

Sasuke returned to his room and took out a book to read. Five minutes later, a loud crash and a wet towel in his face greeted him. "Dobe….."

Naruto looked at his friend. Swathed in a towel and still very wet, Naruto stood there drying his hair. With a smirk that rivaled with Sasuke's, "Oops, didn't see you there."

Sasuke looked at Naruto. _Looks like he's been slacking._ "That was fast. You need to train more. Looks like you lost some definition." He smirked at the blond.

Naruto laughed. "Still as observant as ever, neh Sasuke. Doing hokage work isn't all fighting you know." Frowning he looked at himself in the mirror. "Hmm, you're right though." Glancing at his still staring friend, Naruto smiled. "Didn't know that you were so closely observing my body."

Tinting a little pink, Sasuke glared at Naruto. "Hn. A good ninja is observant. Figures you wouldn't know that."

Naruto promptly tried to tackle him. "I'm the best ninja in Konoha. Teme, you should appreciate me."

Pushing the blond off, Sasuke looked at the blond again. "We don't have time for this. We can spar after the mission. Besides, aren't you cold?"

Naruto looked at the man skeptically. "What?"

Sasuke pointed at the towel that was sliding off the other man's waist, revealing well defined muscles, as well as a fair amount of skin. "That's quite a scandalous show you're giving there. I would think it drafty too."

Naruto turned red and ran to his bag to get his clothes. He sputtered something that Sasuke couldn't make out.

A few minutes later, a dressed Uzumaki and an amused Uchiha met two beautiful companions.

Festival

Sakura smiled at her friend. "My Naruto, you clean up nice."

In the glow of the lanterns, Naruto looked absolutely gorgeous. Even in a plain maroon t-shirt and jeans, Naruto drew many appreciative looks. "Thank you Sakura. You look really pretty. You too Ino."

Ino smiled and looked around. "Ah look, takoyaki! Let's get some!"

Naruto and Ino went on ahead, practically drooling.

Sakura looked at her two friends then back at Sasuke. "I guess they still have the child in them."

Sasuke gave a small smile and looked towards the disappearing silhouettes of his friends. "Yeah." _I wonder what it's like to be so…free. _

Sakura continued on, noticing the smile. "Hmm, it's nice to act like a child once in a while. I'm amazed that as shinobi, they can still maintain and enjoy such activities with child-like innocence. Naruto especially. After all that he has gone through, he still is a free spirit. I wish I can be like him sometimes."

Sasuke glanced at her. "You are you. Naruto is Naruto. Although I wonder what it would be like to be, like that, I know that I cannot. But that does not matter. I am me. We have our own strengths. That is his. Your strength is different."

Sakura stared at her companion and gave a beautiful smile. Her green eyes reflected her happiness. In her lavender kimono, she was breathtaking. "Thank you Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded and continued towards the other two who were eagerly waiting with four takoyaki sticks. _I wonder why I am not attracted to Sakura. She's beautiful, strong, and intelligent. Isn't that what I was looking for? That is the perfect match for an Uchiha. _

Naruto waved at them. "Hurry! They're getting cold!"

Throughout the night, the four enjoyed the evening and companionship.

Inn

Naruto yawned and looked at his friends. "Let's get to bed. On our way tomorrow, I'll discuss the plan."

The group started back to their rooms to gain a peaceful night of sleep before the mission.


	5. Chapter 5: Naruto Plan

Blanket Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This applies to …. Forever or when I can earn a bazillion dollars to buy the copyrights to it.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. As promised, here's the next chapter. It's a bit more technical. New Technique and explanation. Tell me what you think. If I get 20 reviews on I'll put up the next chapter next week. If not, it'll be another 2-3 weeks. Gotta have an incentive you know.

Chapter 5: Naruto Plan

Somewhere near outside of Suna

Naruto laid out the costumes for each of his companions; he was meticulously explaining the cover/plan for the mission.

"So essentially, Ino, you're the flirty, coquettish one – basically, the slut. Sakura, you're shy and reserved on the outside, but a really a wild dominatrix. Sasuke is the shady advisor in disguise trying to overthrow the kingdom by using his sexual wiles on the son of a prominent member of the king's council to gain power. I am the sheikh and son of said prominent member."

Three incredulous ninjas looked at Naruto who was scratching the back of his head with a proud smile on his face.

Sakura looked over at Sasuke and Ino, "Are Naruto's plans always like this? I can't imagine him being such a good tactics man like Shikamaru…"

Ino didn't seem to hear her friend. Red faced and steaming she yelled at Naruto. "WHO….IS…A…SLUT!"

Naruto raised his hands in front of him. "Now, now Ino. This isn't a reflection of who you really are. It's just a plan for the mission. Remember the mission!"

Sasuke on the other hand, was just glaring at Naruto. In response to Sakura, he replied without looking at her. "Hn, Dobe's plans are successful 90 of the time. Surprise is his element. Of course it would work better if didn't surprise his companions all the time."

Naruto just grinned at Sasuke. "You're just mad that on our last mission you were the ass. It was a great plan! They needed to purchase a donkey. What better way to infiltrate the enemy's camp? Besides, you were the one who told me upfront that you wanted the most integral part in the mission. That just happened to be the ass. You gathered great information. No one even suspected a thing. Who would have thought that you would be such a great ass?" Laughing Naruto started to hand out key chains to his companions.

Everyone forgot momentarily about the costumes and turned each of his/her attention to the said object.

Ino examined her purple fluff ball. _Hmm, wonder what this is. Naruto is always full of surprises. Hmm, There's something peculiar about this chain._ "Naruto, what is this?"

Naruto looked up from digging in his bags and held up his own orange puff ball. "These are the secret weapons I've been preparing for the past week for you guys."

Sakura looked at her pink fuzzy skeptically. "Okay, I give up. What is it? I sense a small amount of compressed chakra, but nothing big that will give us an advantage in a tight spot."

Sasuke looked up from his navy colored fuzz ball, his sharingan was activated. "I can barely see any chakra signatures and there is no illusion on it. Did you get the wrong thing again?"

Naruto gave a small glare in Sasuke's direction and looked at the others. "Ah, if I put more chakra in it, wouldn't it be suspicious? Let's put it this way, it's not about quantity, but quality."

Ino looked at Naruto quizzically. "I don't recognize the chakra signature. It feels a little like you, but not. Secondly, I don't feel anything special about the chakra. In fact, it feels like chakra signature from any tree or flower."

Naruto smiled proudly at the group. "You guys are definitely the best of the best."

Ino and Sakura beamed. Sasuke smirked. After all of these years, each shinobi learned to not only trust Naruto, but looked up to him. After Naruto became apprentice to the hokage and merged with the Kyubi, he became a source of outstanding knowledge. Although his schemes in missions seem to be outlandish, weird, and even extreme, each had a finesse. Each mission that he orchestrated had been successful with less loss than the average shinobi mission. He was not only their comrade in arms and friends with the shinobis, but also a mentor. A word of praise from Naruto was something to be cherished. He did not openly praise the shinobis often.

Naruto started his explanation. "I have infused each of these objects with a small amount of my chakra mixed with that of nature. Think of this, the Kyubi was able to become one with nature and mask his chakra with the forest. I modified the ability a bit to create these, for lack of a better word, puffs."

Ino looked at her purple fluff again. "So what does it do?"

Naruto gave a rueful smile. "Ahh, it's a catalyst."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

At the question and with three intent stares directed towards him, Naruto slowly performed a series of seals. "Animal Spirit Project."

Naruto's orange fluff started to glow and disappeared. In it's place on the ground was a small fox. Naruto patted his head. As the animal purred, Naruto started another explanation.

"It's a catalyst to project your own chakra and mold it with nature for a representation of your spirit in animal form. My spirit is represented as a fox. Each person has their own animal. My chakra combined with nature's chakra will enable each of you to project your spirit. Memorize the hand seals I just showed you. Do not use this technique unless you have no other options. It drains your chakra. Since I have almost an unlimited amount of chakra, I'll be okay. Also, once summoned, the animal will not disappear unless its summoner dies. Keep in mind that this animal is not made of chakra."

At that, the other three gave a start. Naruto raised his hand. "Feel this little guy and tell me what you feel."

The little fox jumped away from Naruto and walked to each of the companions. Each companion held up the small fox and passed it to the next. At the end Sasuke examined the animal with sharingan. "He's like any other forest animal with a unique chakra signature."

Sakura took the fox again and started to scratch his ear. "He is physically built as any other animal with solid tissues."

Ino sat next to Sakura and pet the fox. "His reactions and emotions are that of a normal animal."

Naruto nodded his head. "Let's call her Suki. As you can see, Suki is a real, live fox. The only difference is that she will not grow. She will need to eat and sleep, and everything else, but this will be to maintain her basic chakra levels. Her growth is dependent on me. If I am injured, she will grow proportionally to the amount that I am injured. In other words, if I were to be mortally wounded, yet still alive, she will be at her largest. I don't know how large she'll get."

Ino looked up at Naruto. "That's amazing! Incredible really. We each have one?"

"Yes, but again, once you summon, the next few days, you will feel drained. It won't be immediate, but you'll feel the after effects after several hours. I estimate you'll feel exhaustion at about 24 hours. Again, that's a guestimation and I don't know what the real time frame is."

Naruto picked up Suki. "Ok little guy, guess you're with me from now on." Suki licked his nose. "As for you guys, We need to change into our disguises.

The three looked at the costumes again and glared at the blond. Naruto just grinned, "My plans have a," glancing at Sasuke, "90 success rate. So don't complain."

Groaning, each went to their respective places and changed into their costumes.


	6. Chapter 6: Chance Meetings

Blanket Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This applies to …. Forever or when I can earn a bazillion dollars to buy the copyrights to it.

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm so glad that at least a few people are interested in the fic. This is my first fic, so you guys are great at encouraging me to continue. Any input to the story would be greatly appreciated. The readers I have so far are cool! That's why I decided to post this even though the previous chapter didn't even get 10 reviews. :( Oh, and it's quite short. I'll make for it in the next chapter. I'm just editting it and waiting for some feedback via the reviews that you guys or livejournal give me.

Chapter 6: Chance Meeting?

Avian Village

A sheikh with his arms around two beautiful consorts entered the village with a man in black following. The four entered a beautiful looking building with a sign reading "The Flower Garden" over the door way.

The sheikh looked at his broody advisor. _I swear, he fits the role perfectly._ "Fuji, is this the place where the pretty ladies are?"

Fuji looked at him. "Yes, Hirose-sama."

Hirose looked at his two companions respectively. "Chima-chan, Saho-chan, what do you think?"

Saho flicked back her blond hair and batted her eyelashes. "It's perfect Hirose-sama."

Chima just shyly giggled behind her hand. "It's pretty Hirose-sama."

Going the desk Hirose smiled sexily at the woman. "Hello madam, I believe you are expecting us?"

The woman looked at each person, her eyes lingering on the dark man in back. "You must be here to see Rika. I believe you will be staying for a month?"

Hirose smiled and nodded. "We have business to attend to."

The woman picked up a set of keys and led the party to the topmost room on the third level. "This will be your room. Please enjoy your stay."

Hirose thanked the woman as s he left. Looking around, he let out an appreciative whistle. The room was essentially the expanse of the entire third floor. One luxurious king sized bed was in the center with a lace drape around the bed. The room included the traditional setting for eating and a designated sitting area with large, fluffy looking armchairs. "Well, this will be comfortable. Chima-chan, why don't you look around. Saho-chan, make yourself comfortable. Fuji, check that we have everything we need. I'll get dressed into something more comfortable. I see we have a bath, shall we all take one together?" He winked at his companions.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled at him in a nice shade of red. "The area has been sealed momentarily, no one can hear us."

Sasuke, also an equal red, started to close the window covers and took off his traveling cloak. "I sense no chakra signatures."

Ino was just entering the room. "I didn't see anyone resembling Satake. And there are no genjitsus."

Naruto flopped on the bed. "Ahh, this outfit is hot! Damn Sasuke, aren't you hot in that? Your face is all red."

Sasuke threw off his hood and face covering. "Hn. You chose it, why are you complaining about the disguises."

Sakura and Ino were slowly putting on yukatas around themselves. The pink haired woman glared at Naruto. "At least you guys don't have skin showing scandalously and have dirty old men staring and ogling you.

Sasuke snorted. "Welcome to my world."

Ino looked incredulously at him and started to laugh. "I can't believe it! After all these years, hearing him make a joke is still surprising."

Naruto laughed. "Yeah, but isn't it refreshing? Anyways, why don't you ladies clean up first? It looks like the bath is ready. Don't worry; it's behind a barrier, so we won't see. Of course, if you want us to see, I can't say I mind."

Ino threw the yukata in his face. "Sakura, let's go." Leaving the two boys at one end of the room, the two made it to the bath.

Sitting Room

Naruto looked at Sasuke. "Sorry about the costume, your face was in all the Bingu books, so I had to choose something that covers your face. Not like you'd be bothered. At least now the ladies and guys won't ogle you right away." Naruto smirked. "Now they'll be ogling me. Hmm, but seeing what you go through, I'm not sure I want to go through that."

Sasuke smirked as well. "You have your own fan-girl club too now, did you know?"

Naruto smiled. "Yeah whatever. I see why you don't go for those girls…or guys…though. Scary."

The two amiably sat in silence, Naruto looking around the room and Sasuke simply meditating.

Sitting Room – One hour later

"Okay! That feels great! I didn't think I'd ever get the sand out of my hair." Ino came sauntering into the room to see a nice scene. Naruto was snoozing on the sofa sprawled out. Sasuke was sitting cross-legged on the floor in a seemingly meditative stance, except for the fact that his head was sloping towards the other man. Sasuke was asleep. Neither woke up when Ino entered. _How cute! Those two should get together. I'll work on it after the mission. But first thing first, I have to work with Sakura. She doesn't seem to be over Sasuke yet. I'll talk to Shikamaru about it._

"My, I love leisurely baths." Sakura came in and looked at the scene. "Oh." _Wow, they look really cute. I wish I had my camera!_

Naruto stirred. He turned over and promptly fell off of the sofa onto the Uchiha. Both awake from their slumber, started to blink and get a hold of their surroundings. Naruto, realizing his position, jumped off the raven-haired man. "Umm, sorry about that Sasuke. Well, at least we're awake now." Sasuke, just comprehending the situation, quirked his eyebrow. Ino could have sworn that he was a little more pink.

Sasuke looked at the two women and nodded. "Finished?"

Sakura laughed. "Yeah. You two can take a bath now."

Naruto got his clothes and jumped up and headed for the bath. "Finally, a nice shower and bath. You two took forever! After this, let's go around town. Thankfully the other disguises I brought us are a lot better than our traveling gear."

Gathering his toiletries, Sasuke headed for the bathing area. "Speak for yourself Dobe. I still have to wear essentially the same thing."

Naruto stuck his tongue out. "At least I got you a blue one with lighter material. So don't complain."

The two women looked at each other. Ino was the first to respond. "My Naruto, who would have thought you, would know so much about clothing. After those atrocious orange things you wear, I thought you would be a fashion disaster. This second disguise for me and Sakura are a lot more tasteful than the first. Thank goodness."

Sakura took out her red colored pants that billowed out. "Very much better than the traveling. Why did we have to travel in the skimpy outfits?"

Naruto scratched his head and was about to enter the baths. "Oh, I just wanted to see you two ladies in a sexy outfit, other than that, no reason."

Sakura and Ino both took a step towards the man about to tear his head off, but Naruto disappeared behind the barrier. Throwing his clothes over it to indicate his nudity and thus hindering both women in the chase.

Avian Village Market

The four made their way to the market. Chima and Saho were looking at fabrics with Hirose, who was laughing and flirting with all in the area. In the back, following the other three, Fuji scowled at the sheikh. Within the fabric shop, a man and his companion spotted the four. Sensing eyes on the back of his head, Naruto casually started laughing and looked in the direction of the looker. Blue eyes sparkled in merriment when he spotted the man and his companion. Giving a lopsided grin he walked over to the couple and started flirting with both.

"Hello there. I'm Hirose. Who might you two be? Such beautiful creatures need to have more companions."

The girl with purple hair smiled at the tall man addressing her. "I am Kitami."

The man looked up at the blue-eyed man appreciatively. "I am Satake."

Hirose put on a beatific smile and placed a hand on Satake's shoulder. "I am Hirose. Why don't you two join use for some…leisurely activities? We are just visiting this village in search of more companions. You two would be perfect, well, along with Rika."

Satake looked from Hirose to his other companions. Fuji glared at him; Chima glanced at him before looking down; and Saho looked at him and smiled sexily.

Satake smiled back, looking at Naruto and licking his lips he replied, "It would be a pleasure to join you four. I have a feeling that we can have some fun."


	7. Chapter 7: Where are we?

Blanket Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This applies to …. Forever or when I can earn a bazillion dollars to buy the copyrights to it.

A/N: Yeah, I know the previous chapter was short. To make it up to you, here's a long one! Enjoy! Another treat for you all is that I have also releases the companion/compendium to this story. There are a bunch of things that happen that are explained in the compendium. I'll probably put up the significance of each of the spirit animals. We'll see.

P.S. Look up the animal and lore surrounding it. You'll find that it's perfect for what/who I wrote.

Chapter 7: Where are we?

Abandoned House

Naruto woke up with a splitting headache and the ray of sunshine in his eyes was not helping his mood. "Ugh, what happened? I feel like crap. Actually, I feel like I've been run over by a herd of horses then picked at by vultures." He examined his body to find a multitude of bandages and a splint on his left hand. Touching his head, he felt more bandages. Looking at his surroundings, Naruto saw Sasuke on another bed, looking just as bad as he did. Ino was on a mat on the other side. Although she had less bandages, she didn't look up to par. A sound to his left alerted him of another's presence.

Whipping his head to look, he saw Sakura soaking a damp cloth and washing her hands. She looked up and gave a strained smile. "Glad to see someone finally woke up. I see you're feeling like you look."

Naruto examined the girl. She looked weary with few scratches. He sensed that her chakra levels were low. _She must have been up all this time taking care of us._ He scratched his head and smiled. "Ahh, I've felt better. How long have I been out? Where are we? Where's Satake?"

Sakura sat down with a sigh and ran her hand through her hair. "To answer your first question, you've been out for about three days. We are in some small shack somewhere in the mountains. Satake, is, well, not here. He's unconscious and tied down outside in a small shed out back."

Naruto looked at her. "What happened? Last I remember, we were kicking some major ass."

Sakura sighed again. "Let's talk about this later. I'm a bit tired. I haven't slept in days. My chakra is almost depleted. I used our last soldier pill on Sasuke. I need to rest. Can you stand watch for a few hours? I need to get some chakra reserves back and heal Sasuke a bit more. I think we need to take him to Tsunade-shisou for some surgery. Ino's injuries weren't as bad, I healed them all. She should be waking up soon. Sasuke hasn't even budged. Your wounds were the worst, but thank kami you heal faster than the normal person. Suki has been keeping watch over Satake. Oh, and don't worry about Satake, he'll be incapacitated him for a few days." With a loud yawn, she laid her head down on the table and was fast asleep.

Naruto stared at her for a few moments and got up out of his bed. Testing his hands and legs by flexing and stretching them, he decided it was okay to move. Looking over his injuries more carefully, he found that most were mostly healed except for his arm. _This should be healed up in a day or so._ Walking to where Sakura was, he felt a few aches and slight pain. _Hmm, must have some bruising and internal bleeding. That should go away by the end of the day._ He picked up Sakura and slung her over his shoulder. Wincing at the pain that shot through his legs, he brought her to the bed and laid her down. Bringing the sheets over her body he smiled gently. "Sleep well, you did fine."

Taking off his bandages he put them next to the basin of water. Walking over to Ino, he checked her breathing and adjusted her on the mat. A groan on the other bed caught his attention. Sasuke was twisting and turning. Naruto went over to the boy to hold him down. "Shh. You're okay. Stop moving teme or you'll hurt yourself even worse." Upon hearing Naruto's voice, Sasuke stilled. Naruto looked at the boy next to him and released his arms. Examining the body, he found that a wound on Sasuke's shoulder was still bleeding. Taking off the bandages, Naruto saw a hole the size of a baseball there with herbs surrounding it as well as a few seals and ointment. _Ouch, that must hurt._ He changed the other man's bandage. Sasuke's face was marked by a long cut from his upper cheek bone to his lower jaw. As Naruto traced it, the body stirred. _Ah, such a pretty face, now marred. Hmph, I bet the girls will think that he's even sexier with this scar. Damn lucky bastard. He's got all the luck._ Naruto looked again at the boy and touched his forehead. "I'm glad that you're okay."

"What are you doing?" Ino was just getting up and was looking at the two men quizzically. "You aren't molesting my poor Sasuke-kun are you? How can you do that so soon after getting up from those injuries? And look at Sasuke-kun, he's in no position, well, actually he's in the perfect position. Anyways, he's in no condition to have a little romp with you." Ino smiled at Naruto. _Hmm, it's time for a little payback for this mission._

Stuttering and walking away from the other man, Naruto held up his hands. "W, What are you saying Ino? We aren't like that! I was just a bit worried about him. I checked up on you and Sakura too."

Ino laughed. "Naruto, are you covering up for doing naughty things to our friend over there? You always start stuttering when you're lying." _Serves him right for making me a slut! On another note, maybe I'll find out something interesting. _

A moan from the bed caught both of their attentions. Sasuke was moaning and saying something under his breath. "Nnnn…Naruto…."

Looking from Sasuke to Naruto, Ino raised amused eyes. "Are you sure you didn't do something to Sasuke-kun. That's one hell of a response. No wonder you want to do him. Damn, that's hot."

Naruto looked from Sasuke to Ino, "And you guys call me crude." Looking back at Sasuke, Naruto frowned. "Something's wrong with him."

Ino looked at the other man. He was grimacing.

"NNN…..Noooo!" Sasuke shot up and reached for his kunais in his leg pouch and looked around frantically after not finding them. After seeing Naruto, he jumped in front of the man and took on a fighting stance. Blood began to flow from Sasuke's wounds and he grunted in pain.

Naruto grabbed him and turned him around. _His eyes…_ Sharingan stared back at him unknowingly. Sasuke pushed Naruto down. "Stay down Naruto. He's out there."

Naruto got up and grabbed Sasuke again and shook him. "What are you talking about? Stop being a dumbass and stop moving around. You're still not healed! Sakura-chan will kill me if you get even more injured on my watch. You're okay. We're safe. There are no enemies." _Well, none but our own ghosts._

Sasuke gave him a bewildered look and looked around the room again. Seeing Ino and Sakura, who had woken up at the initial scream, his eyes returned to their normal black hue. "Where am I? What happened?"

Naruto grunted and led the other to his bed and sat him down. Sakura went to check the bandages and started to heal some the more serious open wounds. Ino stood up and helped Sakura in rebandaging the wounds.

The blond looked at the disgruntled shinobi being pampered. "Tch…you finally wake up and already you have a harem of women taking care of you. Bastard." Looking at Sasuke, Naruto turned worried eyes to the other man. "You okay?"

"Hn," Sasuke just sat and looked at his surroundings. "Where are we?"

Sakura got up and washed her hands. "We're somewhere in the mountains in an abandoned shack. Satake is unconscious in the shed in the back. Suki is guarding him. Sasuke-kun, rest. You've almost exhausted your chakra when you called your spirit animal. Thank kami we had a few soldier pills left. You've had three days to recover already, but you need a few more, especially since you have so many wounds. I need to rest a bit and get my chakra levels up to heal you up more before we try finding our way back." She headed to the bed and promptly fell asleep again.

Ino tucked her in. "Poor girl, she's been up tending to all of us for the past three days. I couldn't help much because I was healing. Well, at least we're all safe here."

Sasuke looked at Ino. "Safe? I don't think so. Satake is still here and we don't know our exact location. We can still be in enemy territory."

Ino crossed her arms in front of her. "Last I checked, we were in a small valley in the mountains surrounded on all four sides by high rock walls. The entrance we used to come in was blasted into smithereens by YOUR spirit animal. There's no entrance and exit so to speak of."

"Hmph. Shows what you know. If Hiko can blast and trap us in, he can blast and get us out." Sasuke arrogantly smirked.

Ino was about to retort when Naruto spoke up. "Considering that you are not near death and that you are somewhat healed and will be healed even more so when Sakura wakes up, we won't have that option anymore."

Sasuke looked at his friend. "What are you talking about? If he can do it once, he can do it again."

Naruto sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Let me show you. Let's go check on Satake."

Ino stood up and headed outside. Naruto helped Sasuke stand. "You okay by yourself?"

Sasuke glared at him. "I don't need your help dobe, I can do it myself."

Naruto shrugged and waited while watching Sasuke shuffle to the door. When Sasuke slumped at the door, Naruto placed his own harms under the other's to give support. "Yeah, well, this dobe will act like he didn't hear you or better yet, didn't understand you and will help anyways."

Sasuke just grunted. "Hn."

Shed

The three shinobis looked at the heap on the ground. Naruto was the first to speak. "Damn, we did a number on him."

Ino nodded her head. "Well, he deserved it. Looks like Sakura healed him a bit. He's chained down pretty well."

Sasuke just observed the twitching man. "I guess Mangekyou Sharingan's has worn off."

Naruto shuddered at the reminder. "It looks like he's in the after shocks of the visions you let him see. He'll be out for another day or two. We should keep constant vigil tonight and so on." Looking around, he located the objects of his search.

Crouched in the corner next to a window were two animals. A fox with two tails was standing guard. Next to her was another beast about as large as a boar with and eagle head and lions body. He had wings on his back and a long tail. The talons on his paws were digging deep grooves in the dirt floor.

Naruto whistled. "Suki."

The two tailed fox came to Naruto and licked his palm. "She's gotten smaller. That's a good sign for me."

Sasuke, in the meantime, was looking at the other animal curiously. "Hiko?"

The small, compared to others in its species, griffin approached Sasuke and rubbed up against his leg. "I remember him being…bigger."

Naruto laughed. "The healthier you get, the smaller he becomes. He's still quite large though. You've got some healing to do."

Ino looked at the griffin closely. "Can I touch him?" She looked at Hiko and then Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded. Ino tentatively reached out and stroked the griffin's body. "I never thought I'd see one. This creature of myth is a perfect representation of Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow. "How so?"

Ino smiled. "I guess you don't have an interest in these things. Myth, lore, religion and beliefs are quite interesting and explain many things about people. It's necessary for us to understand minimal amounts so that we can integrate into their society flawlessly in a covert mission. Right captain?" She directed her gaze at Naruto.

In response, Naruto looked to Sasuke who nodded. Reaching out his hand, he ruffled the top of Hiko's head, who suddenly snapped at the hand. "Griffins are representative of strength, courage, speed, ferocity and the same time, gentleness, and nobility. Myth has them as symbols for guardianship and retribution of justice. They are creatures who are highly intelligent. They analyze each situation and win their battles. This is exhibited through the legend of the fight between the griffin, dragon, and chimera. Also, the griffin is suited to you Sasuke, they are inhabitants of the forest and mountains and can adapt to both."

Sasuke looked at the other two and smirked. "Well, that about sums me up."

Naruto chuckled. "I forgot to mention that then can be haughty and arrogant. Kind of like the way you seem to act like there's a stick up your ass." Sasuke glared at him.

Abandoned House

Naruto looked at his companions. "Well, let's recap on what happened and try to figure out how to get back home. It's been about a month since we've been in Konoha. I can't believe it took up two weeks to finally capture that bastard Satake. After a week of hard work to gain his trust, it figures that the ass would discover who we are."


	8. Chapter 8: The Beginning of the Chase

Blanket Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This applies to …. Forever or when I can earn a bazillion dollars to buy the copyrights to it.

A/N: This is a SHORT chapter. Be forewarned. It's just a transition. Oh, I have a compendium to this story with side-stories, omakes, drabbles, etc. just in case you are interested.

Whoo hoo! 3500 hits! Thanks to DarvsLight for their constant support!

Chapter 8: The Beginning of the Chase

Ino tugged her ponytail. "Well, I guess we should start on how Satake discovered who we were. During the fight, he said something about Naruto's face."

Naruto wiped his face with his hands and rubbed his cheek. "Ahh, that explains it. He must have seen the whiskers and deduced it's me. Make-up must have run off after the hike in the desert."

FLASHBACK

Hirose was sweating profusely under his cloak. Looking to his left, Chima and Saho wasn't faring any better. On his right, Fuji was the picture of misery. _Damn he must be boiling in that black cloak!_ _Let's see if we can get his mind off the current weather conditions. _"Hey Fuji! Remind me to tell my father to send someone to make an oasis around here. It's a strategic place to put it."

Fuji glared at him. "An oasis here would be totally unadvised. It is not along any of the pathways of commerce, nor is it an ideal location for anything else. It's too close to the city."

Hirose smiled at the man. "Well, I guess I should listen to you, since you are the lowly advisor."

Fuji glared at him, but before he could reply, Hirose started to laugh. "Oh, look, never mind Fuji. Here's an oasis right here. And it was on the map. Guess we should have looked at it first. Shall we have some fun?" Looking at Chima and then glancing at Satake, he said, "I have a surprise for you Satake-san. I see you've an interest in my sweet Chima. Why don't you sit over there and get a taste of what Chima can do."

Chima walked up to Satake shyly and looked at the man straight in the eyes, before getting out her whip which was hidden in her cloak. "Get on your knees and beg." She accentuated the phrase with a lash of her whip. _I can't believe I'm doing this! Sigh, the sad part is that I know what I'm doing. I've been reading too much of Kakashi's books. Never should have opened the one entitled: Icha Icha Sasuke's Beloved. Who could have resisted though! Jiraya-sama is quite a talented writer. I can't believe the stories were so good. Anyways, back to the act. I'll get Naruto for this!_ "You want me? Well, you have to work for it!" With another lash of her whip, Chima stood behind Satake and tied up his hands. Going in front of him, she took off her cloak to reveal leather. _It's so hot! I can't believe I was forced to wear this! At least I've bound him._. She then walked to Satake again and tied up her slave's legs. Satake was in awe. Shaking his head, he realized his predicament too late.

Ino was behind Sakura doing some hand seals. Once Sakura was out of her line of site, she delivered the jutsu. "Shinranshin no Jutsu"She was immediately tossed back and returned to her body. "What the?" As Satake started to slump. Sakura reinforced the binds. At the pressure, Satake's figure was replaced by a log. "Dammit! Kawarimi no Jutsu?"

Sasuke immediately activated Sharingan and began searching the surroundings. Catching a blue blur at the edges of the oasis, Sasuke immediately pursued followed by Naruto and the other two women. After hours of searching, the team returned to their room to discuss possible plans to track the target. Packing up and leaving, in their travel clothes and ninja garb, the group headed outside of town. At the outskirts of town, they found Satake.

Ino sashayed up to Satake and coyly waved. "Satake-san, we were worried that you had left without us. There's still SO much more fun to be had together." Accentuating the sentence with a matting of eyelashes and a licking of lips, Ino ran her hands along Satake's arms preparing to grab him.

Satake immediately withdrew into fighting stance. "I know who you are. You're here to capture me. There's no way that's going to happen!" With a flurry of signs and a puff of smoke, Satake was gone.

Naruto whistled. "Suki, track him!" Out from the corner of their eyes, a small red fox appeared. She sniffed around and yipped. Taking off, the team started to follow. "What the hell happened! How did he know…." Naruto was interrupted by an explosion.

Sakura looked around for her companions. "Is everyone okay? Anyone hurt?"

Ino was dusting herself off and Naruto was digging himself out of the sand. Sasuke stood nearby scanning the horizons. "There are quite a number of traps laid out for us. Be careful." With that said, he took off in the direction that Suki headed.

It was nightfall and there was still no sign of Satake. The chase had led them to the outskirts of a forest. Tired and with no other signs of Satake, the group set camp. Ino was preparing dinner over the fire. "I haven't seen any traps, are we going the right way?" She looked up to Naruto.

Naruto was lying on his back looking into the night, Suki was curled up next to him. "Suki still smells his scent here. It's not as strong, but it's the only scent identified. The bastard must know the countryside well to get so far ahead of us."

Sakura was examining each of her companions for injuries and checking on their health status. "From what the scroll says, Satake is quite powerful. If we have to fight him, we have to be at our strongest. Eat now and then rest. I'll take first watch."

The rest of the group ate and went to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9: Fight!

Blanket Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This applies to …. Forever or when I can earn a bazillion dollars to buy the copyrights to it.

A/N: To make up for the short chapter, I wrote this lengthy one. This is all battle. Hope you like it! Oh, and NaruSasu will be coming up; it's a bit slow. Can't have them jump each other quite yet.

Chapter 9: Fight!

Middle of a Forest

Two weeks later, the group had awoken at dawn and began the chase with renewed vigor. In the midst of the forest the trail split into two. Naruto looked at both paths and whistled. Suki appeared immediately. Silently the two communicated and Naruto nodded his head. "Satake's scent is on both paths. We need to split up. Sasuke and Sakura, take the right path. Ino and I will take the left. Shoot a flare when you've found him."

Right Path

Sasuke and Sakura were traveling silently, Sasuke in the upper treetops and Sakura on the lower limbs. Suddenly Sasuke jumped into Sakura and both landed on the forest floor. "Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke clapped his hand over her mouth and pointed behind him. Sakura looked behind him and realized that there was another presence. Satake stepped out of the shadows. Just as she was about to fire her flare, there was a flash of light from another flare to the left.

Left Path

Naruto had already started to charge Satake. Ino was readying a jutsu. Before she could finish, she was interrupted by several kunais being thrown at her. Jumping away and avoiding being hit, she three a shurikan in the direction where the kunais originated. A flare to her right surprised her. _What the hell? Satake is right here! Why are they setting off the flare?_

Naruto was viciously fighting Satake. In the midst of the battle, he sensed another chakra signature. Before he could turn his head, the sounds of fighting came to him. Sasuke crashed through several trees and landed in front of Naruto and Satake. Another Satake was stepping out to follow the man.

As Naruto picked up Sasuke and jumped away from both Satakes, Sakura came into the battle, with yet another Satake. "Naruto, I could use some help here!"

Naruto looked at her and began a set of signals. "Kage no Bushin!" Four Naruto clones appeared and burst into battle. Looking to his left, Ino was also struggling with another Satake. With a thrust of her wakizashi, she deemed the fight over. Sakura in the meantime was using her inhuman strength and throwing a gigantic boulder onto the other Satake. Both looked a little scratched up and started towards their companions.

Suddenly, Sasuke was up and using his katana to deflect several kunais headed for Sakura. Naruto was also doing the same for Ino. There were still four Satakes gathered around them. All of Naruto's clones were defeated.

Satake performed another series of hand seals. The group looked on in awe as a giant bulb burst from his leg and began to grow. Another Satake appeared. Sakura looked surprised. "Asexual reproduction? This wasn't in the scroll!"

Naruto nodded. "Well, we have to adapt. From what I've seen, these guys don't disappear after you hit them." Putting his katana away, he cracked his knuckles and smiled. "Let's kick some ass." Naruto launched his attack on the first Satake.

Sasuke smirked. "Hn. Dobe, don't take all the fun." He launched himself at the nearest two Satakes.

Ino and Sakura looked at each other, shrugged, and smiled. "Boys will be boys!" With that, Ino attacked, while Sakura took out her kunais and renewed her demolition of the Satake spawn that tried to kill her. "Time for a little venting!"

Naruto

Naruto looked at Satake. "So, I assume you're the original since you're the one that did the hand seals."

Satake smirked. "My, my quite observant are we? Hirose-san, or should I call you Naruto-kun?"

Naruto took on his fighting stance. "I see my reputation precedes me. So what's an asshole like you doing killing off his family?"

Satake looked at him curiously. "My family? Why would you say that?"

"Hmm. I've met quite a few people in my journeys. The psychotic ones that kill off an entire clan usually do it to those who are related. The more sane ones want to change their clan, not kill them."

Satake and Naruto started to circle each other. Satake began to attack Naruto head on. "So, they were, but I don't think it matters now, does it. I did what I did. Besides, I've already repopulated a clan. Or didn't you hear. I believe I've got over 20 children."

Naruto punched the man in the side, causing the other to hit a tree. "Don't let your guard down! Don't tell me this ass kicking isn't going to be any fun? Let me guess, your family didn't do what you like? Hmm, maybe they abandoned you. Ahh, that must be it. You really are a bastard. Aww, too bad."

Satake trembled with rage. "You've no say in what I do. It's cliché to say you don't understand. I'll just leave it at the fact that I've recreated the Nahare clan to be better than they were. The old Nahare clan was weak and stupid throwing out one of the greatest combinations of blood lines. Pure-blooded Nahares were the only ones acknowledged. I've just redesigned that." Satake took out a vial and injected it into himself. "Now see what I can do!" In front of Naruto's eyes, Satake began to morph.

Ino

Ino was struggling in her fight. _Dammit! Hand to hand combat won't cut it. I guess I have to resort to weapons._ Using her wakizashi Ino began to slice her opponent. Satake just laughed. "Little girl, you call that fighting? You're so weak! Did you think I wouldn't recognize you and your allies as shinobi? I saw the blond's face and figured it out. Those marks are so distinguishable. Did you try to get into my mind? Don't think that you can!"

Satake then rushed Ino with his own katana. The fight was even until Ino was backed up against a layer of rock. Satake slashed down and cut her through her arm. Ino gasped in pain. Fighting the urge to loose consciousness, she renewed her attack. Flipping over her opponent, she kicked out at the same time as slashing her blade. Catching Satake behind the knee, Ino again sliced her blade across his chest.

Satake blocked the blow and hit Ino open palmed across her chest, knocking the wind out of her. Satake drew his blade down and cut Ino's calf. Satake ducked under a Ino's swing and swept around, knocking her onto her back. Before stomping on her hand, Satake remarked, "Tch, even a clone with half of the original's strength can take down a 'strong' Konoha shinobi. Che, Konoha must be weak. Guess I'll have to take care of that later. Such pitiful weaklings.."

As Satake was grinding Ino's wrist, she kicked up despite the pain in her legs and kicked him in the back. Swiftly taking her blade, she whipped around and cut off his head. Spitting on the melting corpse, Ino walked away. "Who's a little girl now?"

Sakura

Sakura was having an easier time than Ino. Since her boulder took off one of her Satake's arms, the clone was at a disadvantage. Sakura decided to end the fight quickly and efficiently. She took out her senbon and threw them at Satake who jumped to avoid them. Satake laughed. "Is that all you've got? You expect to take me down with mere needles?"

Sakura smiled in returned. Satake looked at her confused and charged. "You've nothing to laugh at, I've won."

Again, Sakura smiled. She held up her hand and pointed behind him. "Boom."

Behind Satake, was an explosive seal. Jumping out of the way of the explosion, Satake landed in front of Sakura ready to strike her down. Since she anticipated his action, she was ready. As Satake landed she began to seal his chakra. Satake gasped and slumped over, beginning to melt. "Ahh, I must thank Hinata-san for teaching me that simple version of Hakkeshou; oh, and not to mention Haku, who showed me the great uses of senbons."

Sasuke

_Dammit! This asshole is just like Itachi. Must kill the bastard. _Sasuke was attacking and dodging multiple blows from the two Satakes he attacked. His exceptional speed accounted for the balance of fighting ground between two fast opponents. "Katon: Housenka no Jutsu." Several balls of fire distracted one of the clones. Sasuke took the time to attack the other. Taking out his katane, he charged up a chidori into it. The sound of birds filled the night before a loud explosion muffled the sound. By using chidori in addition to his katana, Sasuke lengthened the surface area of the jutsu. As he swung his katana at the clone, he threw a ball of lightning at the same time. Satake jumped to avoid the lighting ball, but did not manage to avoid the katana and shurikan that Sasuke had thrown. The shurikan hit him in the chest with a dull thump and the katana slice off his leg. The Satake began to melt.

Sasuke then turned his attention to the other Satake who was fast approaching the Uchiha. _These guys are weak. _Sasuke decided to test out a new move he had been perfecting. Just as he was finishing, several kunais and shurikan sliced thorough the air and hit all his vital points. Satake ended the barrage of weapons with a fire jutsu, burning away the body. A dagger appeared at his own throat. Surprised, he looked behind him than in front of him. Before him was a shell that looked like the Uchiha. "How?"

Sasuke smirked at him. "Like my new technique? I call it Shed no jutsu." Slitting the clone's throat, Sasuke began to walk away. As an after thought Sasuke performed a series of hand seals. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu."

Mountain Side

Sasuke, Ino, and Sakura met up at the edges of the forest. Sakura began to heal some of Ino's wounds. "Where's Naruto? Isn't he finished yet? Those guys were pretty weak."

Ino began to stand up. "The clones only had half the power that the original had." Sasuke and Sakura looked at her bewildered.

The raven-haired boy shrugged. "Hmph. No wonder. They didn't use many ninjutsu either. Mostly taijutsu."

A load roar interrupted the threes conversation. The three looked in the direction of where the sound originated.

Sasuke took off in towards the sound. "Naruto!"

Ino and Sakura were a little shocked at the other's fleeting look of fear and followed suite.


	10. Chapter 10: Kick some !

Blanket Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This applies to …. Forever or when I can earn a bazillion dollars to buy the copyrights to it.

A/N: Sorry about the late update. Well, I was putting up some chapters to the compendium. If you're interested, check it out. Oh, and expect updates a bit later. holiday season + travel tired. Hmm, if you want to see earlier updates, I guess you could try checking out my livejournal from time to time? I'm going to post updates there earlier as a pseudo beta testing b/c i've no beta.

Chapter 10: Kick some Ass!

Mountain Valley

Ino was worried. _Sasuke seems frantic. Well, less composed. _Glancing at Sakura, Ino noted that the other woman was also a little scared. _Sasuke has rarely shown emotions, much less fear._ Although both women knew that Naruto was the Kyubi vessel, neither had ever seen him exhibit signs of being a demon, much less loose control. Yet the sight that met them shocked and terrified both of them. In front of them a large seven-tailed fox stood in front of them. Out from the corner of their eyes, they saw a man exuding a purplish chakra. Both beings had their teeth bared and were looking straight at them with malice in their eyes, ready to attack the unknown interlopers. The land within a 100 meter radius was filled with large craters and upturned dirt. Boulders of various sizes were smashed or thrown in various places. The air smelled charred. There was no sign of Satake. Naruto and the fox began to approach the three.

Sasuke kept moving forward towards the other male. "Dobe! Get it together!" The man regarded the new voice with distaste. After a small eternity, he nodded at it in acknowledgement. "Hey Bastard, what did I say about calling me that? What took you so long?"

Sasuke looked at the fox and addressed Naruto, "Suki?"

Naruto only nodded and addressed the group. "Look out for a freaky monster and his sidekicks. Ino, Sakura, be on the defensive, if Sasuke or I fall, cover us until we get back up."

Sakura looked Naruto over and noticed no visible injuries. "You aren't hurt on the surface, but you I sense something wrong with you." She looked at Suki and frowned. "Naruto, I need to examine you now so that I can help heal some of those internal wounds. You must be severely injured for Suki to grow that big."

Naruto shook his head. "No time." Pushing Sakura out of the way, he shouted at them, "Watch out!"

A green slime mound replaced the place that Sakura had stood moments ago. Wherever the surface of the mound touch, smoke could be seen, it was eating away at the ground. A rancid smell filled the air. Naruto threw an explosive tag at the mound. "Better get moving guys if you don't want to be goo." With that, he jumped away.

The rest of the group followed suit. BOOM! The mound exploded. Sasuke scanned the area as Naruto debriefed the team.

"Green slimey mounds are bad; they exude acid. When they morph, another replication of Satake is created. Unlike the ones you fought, they are stronger. Satake is out there. Everytime I get close to him, he launches those crap balls at me. Ineed you guys to cover me so that I can take him out. Apparently his blood line allows him to create clones from his body with varying levels of strength. He seems to be able to enlargen."

Ino looked around. "You mean like Chouji? If he gets that big, why can't you find him?"

Naruto directed a peeved look at her. "You don't think I know that? He's a chameleon! He blends in with his surroundings. Not only that, but if you chop off his arms or whatever, he grows it back! Why do you think I'm still fighting this jerk?"

Ino just shook her head. "Oh." With that, a series of five slime balls were directed at the group. Naruto and Sasuke headed towards the direction of the projectiles. With a look back, Naruto said, "Sakura, Ino, don't touch the slimes, and don't, and I mean never, let them morph. They can be a pain in the ass. Suki, help the girls.." Turning to Sasuke he nodded and took off to the right. Sasuke turned to the left and both charged the origin from both sides.

Ino and Sakura

Ino drew out her wakizashi and sliced her way towards the other woman. Suki burned the slimeballs in her path with her breath of flames. Sakura was throwing kunais with flame notes at the slimeballs around her. She looked at Ino as she approached. "These guys don't seem so bad. Maybe Naruto is loosing his touch." Before she could open her mouth to voice her next thought, a roar next to her interrupted. Suki was pawing at her side. Ino and Sakura looked in the direction and say multiple slimeballs evolving on the back of the fox.

Ino started to hack at each of the mutants, but it was ineffective. With each chunk that she hacked off, the part would regenerate.

Sakura was not having an easier time. She could not throw explosive or fire notes onto the balls for fear of injuring Suki. She opted to pick up the balls and throw them off. If not for her gloves, her hands would have melted. Although she did not go unharmed, her palms were raw and bleeding in the end. "Ino, buy me some time! I need to heal these up a bit."

Ino looked at the girl. "Baka! What were you thinking picking up those things?"

Sakura just stared at the blobs as her hands began to glow a faint green, "Couldn't hurt Suki, could I? She's a part of Naruto. I can't let anything else hurt him, even if it kills me. He deserves that much."

Ino laughed. "You're right. Well, I hope you had enough time, because we've got a long night before us." She eyed the four mutated people in front of her and drew out her second weapon, the niginata, a 1 foot blade with another 8 inch curved blade on the end. "Is it just me, or did Satake get ugly, deformed, and out-right gross?"

Sakura drew out her explosive notes. "Hmm, I'm thinking that he's always been like that on the inside. We're just privy to finally be able to see his true face." With that, both started to attack the four mutants with Suki following.

Naruto and Sasuke

There were three bodies entangled in a deadly fight in the middle of a circular rock formation. The blond man was viciously attacking a giant mutant. Another burnette with red swirling eyes was attacking with his katana. Narrowly missing the blond and inflicting damage onto the giant, the man jumped next to the other. "Fuck. We need a plan. We've been fighting for an hour and he still shows no sign of weakening. Seems like all the cuts aren't healing, but they aren't hindering him either."

Naruto jumped back from an attack from Satake. Hidden, Naruto leaned towards Sasuke and whispered something in his ear. Afterwards, Sasuke took off.

Seeing the burnette flee, Satake laughed. "Seems like your friend ran away. Looks like you were abandoned. Tch, what are you going to do now, Na-ru-to-kuuuun?"

Naruto charged at the man with his katana drawn. "I'm going to take you down!" He swung his blade in an arc, slicing at Satake's leg. Jumping up, Naruto performed a few hand signals."Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

Satake looked at the blond exasperated. "This again? You've no originality."

Naruto grinned at the man. "Shishi Rendan: Naruto Style."

Ino and Sakura

Ino and Sakura were finishing up their battle when Sasuke came to them. "Sakura, I need some poison."

Sakura was wiping off some blood. "The one I have on me won't affect Satake much. It requires large doses to incapacitate people."

Sasuke looked at the girls and turned back. "New plan. When you two are ready, come to us." Sasuke headed back towards Naruto.

Ino looked at the his disappearing form and sighed. "Guess we don't get a break."

Naruto

At the last barrage of hits, Satake hit the ground, creating a large crater. Naruto noticed some movement from the corner of his eye and recognized his fellow companions. Jumping and meeting his team halfway, he nodded his head. Sasuke spoke up. "New plan. We all fight and take him down."

Naruto looked at him. "Umm, yeah, that was the original plan. What about the one we talked about?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No poison."

"Shit. Ok, new plan accepted." A groan was heard from the crater. "Double shit. He's already waking up. I thought he'd be out for at least five minutes." Looking at the group and then at Ino he said, "You know what to do. I'll start." Naruto went to the crater and looked down at Satake.

Satake suddenly began renewing his attack on Naruto. "Whelp! You think you can beat me." As Satake jumped out of the hole, Naruto noticed something behind his enemy. "Oh shit." Turning around, he shouted. "We need to revise our plan a little." A large cloud of smoke and the scent of rotten flesh filled the air.

As the smoke cleared, the entire area was filled with large mutated Satakes. All of them laughed in unison. "What are you going to do now?"

Naruto sighed. "KAGE NO BUNSHIN." The large clearing became even more crowded with the appearance of hundreds of Narutos. All answered in unison. "We are SO going to kick your ass ! Rasengen!"


	11. Chapter 11: For my precious people

Blanket Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This applies to …. Forever or when I can earn a bazillion dollars to buy the copyrights to it.

Umm, this isn't finished. I actually may rewrite the whole thing. But since it's been a while, I wanted to put up something...

Sorry for putting it up so late! hopefully it'll be acceptable?

Chapter 11: For my Precious People!

Mountain Valley

The valley was littered with debris. In the midst of it all were four people, surrounded by 50 mutants.

Ino was heaving. She had fought off fifty of the mutants and the numbers just increased. Looking at her companions, they didn't seem to be faring better. Sakura was wheezing and clutching her side, blood was dripping from various wounds on her body. Since they were minor, she didn't heal them. Of course there was no time to heal them even if she needed to. Sasuke was still a picture of composure, but being observant, Ino could see the faint signs of fatigue. He was not without injuries. It looked as if his ankle was sprained and a few ribs were broken. The gash on his neck was pouring buckets. Lastly, Naruto was the worst off. His blond hair was caked in blood. Ino could see that there was still blood trickling from a wound down his neck. His left arm hung uselessly. The greatest indication of how severe injuries were was Suki. Suki was as large as a building and had nine tails. In the past, Ino would have feared the fox, but after learning the story of the Kyubi, she learned to honor the presence. _Of course Naruto's spirit animal would be a fox. He's now part Kyubi. _

Sasuke was tired. He had used Chidori five times during this battle and had maintained sharingan. He was exhausted. He turned to Naruto and noticed that the man was even worse off than him. The other man's pallor was pale, unlike his usual tan skin. His ever present smile was gone and replaced by a grimace. Sasuke looked at Suki. The fox was standing protectively around Naruto, protecting him. Anything that approached the blond was faced with either fire or a swipe of tails. If Suki missed an enemy, Sasuke was there to protect the blond. When Naruto fell to his knees, Sasuke jumped in front of him. "Dobe, get up. I'm always saving your ass."

Naruto smiled at him. "So tired Sasuke…"

When more of the mutants attacked, Sasuke fought them off before they reached the blond. His other two companions were busy fighting with the others. Coming to a conclusion, Sasuke performed a series of hand seals. Naruto recognized the seals. "You know, you're almost out of chakra, you really shouldn't do that."

Before finishing off the set of seals, Sasuke smirked. "What's the point of knowing it and not using it Dobe?"

Naruto closed his eyes and smiled. Pulling something out off his pouch, he handed it to Sasuke. "Take this first. I know I could never talk you out of it, but at least humor me and take this. It'll help." Sasuke took the soldier pill and swallowed it. Smirking at the blond he completed the last seal. "Animal Spirit Project! Time to come out Hiko!"

Naruto looked at Sasuke. "Hiko? How do you know your spirit animal will be a male?"

Sasuke turned around as his navy puff began to glow and change. "Tch. How can it be a female?"

Naruto laughed. "Geez, you're still a pompous ass to the very end. The sex of the animal has nothing to do with the strength. Strength is dependent on spirit, but I guess you know that. But I guess your spirit would have to be strong, also, you would know best."

In front of the two men was a large Griffin. He held up his eagle head high. The body was that of a lion. The wings were spread out majestically. Sasuke looked at it in awe. Naruto looked amused. "It's big."

Sasuke smirked. "What do you expect Urasontachi? It's my spirit representation."

Naruto smirked back. "It's not always going to be that big."

Sasuke glared at the other. "Hmph."

Sakura looked over at the animal shocked. "Is that?"

Ino also looked over after finishing off her enemy. "Thank kami."

The group once again launched into the fight. Hiko took out many of the mutants with his talons and beak. Seeing that Sasuke was in danger, he gave a loud shriek and directed a lightening breathe at the enemy. A loud explosion and a crumbling of rocks marked the side of valley destroyed. Suki was stomping and whipping her tails around taking out any animals in Naruto's way. As Naruto made it to Satake, he gave a deafening yell.

Sasuke immediately sprung to his teammate's side. Ino and Sakura followed suite. Satake was shocked by the sudden appearance of the other shinobi. While he was stomping the blond in the head into the ground, the others attacked. Sakura used her brute force and knocked Satake into the side of the mountain. She took out her senbon and threw them., paralyzing the man temporarily. Ino was taking out the leftover mutants. Sasuke stood in front of Satake. "We are here to arrest you Satake, S-Class nin from Stone, for the annihilation of the Nehare clan."

Grabbing his hair, Sasuke looked into his eyes. "You will relive the nightmare of being dismembered piece by piece for the next four days. Mangekyou Sharingan." Satake slumped down against the wall. The next few hours were filled with screams.

Ino looked at the area and motioned in front of her. "I see a cabin or something over there."

Sakura looked at the group. "Well, we need to rest. Let's head off there. I need some help with Naruto." Sasuke stepped towards them reaching out, but fell down. Hiko came up beside the man and laid down his head. Sasuke looked at him. "Hiko." Sasuke climbed up the Griffin and motioned for Sakura to hand him Naruto.

Suki walked towards the Griffin and looked at Sasuke and shook her head. Walking up to Sakura and Naruto, she used her tails to gather them up and placed them onto her back. Sasuke nodded his head to the fox and then motioned for Ino. "Climb on."

Ino climbed up and promptly lost consciousness. Sakura looked over worried. "She's exhausted. I need to look at her wounds as well."

The group made it to the shack where Sasuke promptly fainted. Sakura looked at her three unconscious companions. "Looks like I've got some work to do." Taking out her bandages, soldier pills, and medicines., she lost track of time.


End file.
